Honda details transition with Red Bull Powertrains

Honda revealed the outlines of its future cooperation with the engine department Red Bull Powertrains. The Japanese manufacturer, which will leave the Formula 1 at the end of the 2021 campaign, will continue to help its Austrian partner in 2022.

Honda will thus assist Milton Keynes, which will have the right to use Japanese intellectual property in terms of powertrain, to build the 6 V2022 turbo hybrid. Remember that an engine freeze will come into force at the start of next season.

Honda will also provide support at the track level operations as well as from Japan before Red Bull Powertrains assumes responsibility for the manufacturing and maintenance of the engines used by the Red Bull Racing teams and Alpha Tauri from 2023. Finally, employees of the Honda Racing Development UK branch will pass into the fold of Red Bull Powertrains.

Furthermore, Red Bull and Honda will continue to work together to train young drivers through their respective sectors, the Red Bull Junior Team and the Honda Formula Dream Project, in order to promote the growth of motorsport in Japan. The Japanese manufacturer thus wishes to support more national talents through to F1, as it did recently with Yuki tsunoda.

The two partners are also committed to cooperating in other areas, both sporting and marketing. Honda's competitive automobile activities also come under the supervision of the Honda Racing Corporation entity, which already manages the MotoGP and the brand's other commitments in two-wheel championships.

« The collaboration between Red Bull and Honda has been a great success and even if the relationship is set to evolve, no one wants the story to end, commented Christian Horner, Red Bull Racing team principal. We are happy to see that our Red Bull Powertrains project will benefit from the technical and operational support of Honda. This will allow us to ensure a smooth transition to making Red Bull a full-fledged manufacturer. ».

« I am pleased that we have reached an agreement with the Red Bull group regarding the intellectual property rights relating to the F1 powertrain, added Koji Watanabe, head of communications operations and the Honda brand. In this way, Honda can continue to make its contribution to the world of motorsport ».

While F1 should have gone to Suzuka for the 2021 Japanese Grand Prix at the beginning of October, travel restrictions linked to the pandemic forced the teams to retreat to Turkey.

That won't stop Honda and Red Bull from celebrating their successful partnership with a special livery unveiled this Thursday.